The Intern
by Miztiry
Summary: Not fully DH compatible. Hermione has been out of Hogwarts for three years and begins a potions internship at the Ministry of Magic under Severus Snape. Hate eventually turns to love. HGSS, and a little HGRW. Rated M for safety.
1. How It Began

**The Intern**

Not totally Deathly Hallows compatible. Hermione has been out of Hogwarts for three years and begins a potions internship at the Ministry of Magic…under Severus Snape. At first it's horrible and Hermione hates it, but after a while, she and Snape soften towards each other and begin an affair that may ruin both their reputations, but is more amazing than anything they have ever experienced before. HG/SS, and a little HG/RW. Rated M for sexual content in later chapters.

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**Chapter One: How It Began**

_Well, here I am… I've already survived a week of this, and I hope I can get through the other fifty-one that await me_, Hermione thought to herself as she placed boiled eye of bat onto the 'B' shelf, carefully, so her advisor would not bark at her again. Just two days ago she had dropped a jar of poisoned dragon's liver, which went sprawling all over the floor, ruined forever, she was yelled at for an hour while she cried silently, wiping up the contents with a rag. She worked as swiftly and silently as she could so that she could get out of the lab and back home without speaking to her boss.

Hermione had been so excited when she found out that she had gotten the yearlong Potions internship position at the Ministry of Magic. She had spent all summer preparing to leave her parents' house, ready to move into a flat in London. What she hadn't known, though, was whom she was to work under.

The day before her job started, she couldn't hold down her anticipation. Then the fateful day came. She Apparated to the visitors' entrance of the Ministry of Magic, walked into the red phone booth, pressed 62442, and a cool female voice answered, "Name and purpose of visitation, please."

"Uh… um… Hermione Granger. Ministry's Summer Potions Intern," she stuttered into the mouthpiece. A badge then shot out of the slot where money usually appeared with the inscription, "HERMIONE GRANGER. POTIONS INTERN".

She pinned the badge to the front of her cloak and felt the booth begin to rumble. It had been five years since she had last taken this way into the Ministry, and she waited anxiously as the booth began to lower into the ground. When it finally stopped, she stepped out and glanced around the very large atrium that she had remembered from her first visit there in fifth year.

It had not changed much, except that the name "Kingsley Shacklebolt" was everywhere instead of Fudge or Scrimgeour. Hermione was happy with the new Minister because not only was he a man that she could trust, he was the main reason she had gotten this internship in the first place. Kingsley had owled her one day with the suggestion that she accept the position, seeing as she had had the highest scores in potions in her year. She had accepted happily, knowing that it would be a great experience to work under an expert Potions master. It had never occurred to Hermione to ask whom she was to work under, because she had thought it wouldn't matter.

She walked into the main area of the entrance hall and spotted an information desk on her right. She strolled over to the counter and asked the elderly witch behind it where she was to go.

"Ah, the Potions intern. The Minister wants to speak to you first before you go to your duties; you will go to his office directly. Take the elevator to the twentieth floor and walk straight down the corridor until you reach a golden door. Knock eight times and then state your name. Do this exactly, or else a security wizard will hit you with a petrifying spell and you will not be awoken for at least three months. Understand?" the old witch stated.

"Um, yes. Of course," Hermione muttered as she walked away from the counter.

She moved over to the end of the hall where she waited for the next elevator to appear. As she stood there, she felt a small shiver come over her body, one that gave her the feeling that someone was watching her. She turned around suddenly, only to find that no one was looking at her, and the only people there were busy witches and wizards bustling all around.

"Oh, god… It's just all in my head," she said to herself. She realized she was wrong as she heard a recognizable voice right behind her.

"Alone today, Ms. Granger?" said the familiar voice.

Hermione turned around to find no one there.

"Harry? Harry, where are you? I know you are under your cloak!" she said softly as she reached out to feel around for him.

"If you can find me then I'll tell you," he said jokingly.

She groped the air more violently until she felt solidness. She grabbed at the cloak and pulled it off Harry's body.

"Now there you are, you bloody idiot," she said as she embraced him powerfully. "I've missed you so much. You have no idea how much I've missed you, Harry," she murmured as a tear ran down her face.

"I've missed you too, Hermione," he said as he embraced her in return.

They held this pose for what seemed to Hermione like hours, but in reality was only a of couple minutes. When they stepped apart, Hermione noticed that the elevator had arrived.

"Uh, well… I don't want to keep it waiting, Harry. Um, owl me? Please? We can catch up on old times, and you can tell me what you and Ronald have been doing," she said as she backed up into the elevator. "I have to go now, but we'll talk, huh? Right. See you later."

"Good-bye," Harry simply said as he watched the doors close on the elevator.

As the elevator went up into the Ministry of Magic, Hermione stood back against the wall, thinking rapidly about the event that had just taken place. She hadn't spoken to Harry or Ron for two years. After the war, Hermione and Ron had finally gotten together like she had always wanted, but she realized some time later that what she wanted wasn't exactly the best thing.

Ron had become a successful Quidditch player for the Chudley Cannons, just as he had always wanted. But along with fame came temptation, and Ron couldn't control himself among his pretty array of female spectators. Hermione had suspected him to be unfaithful, but kept quiet about her suspicions because she didn't want to be right.

One day she had gotten back early from work to surprise Ron with a one-year anniversary dinner, only to find him in bed with an attractive blonde girl... most likely underage. It had taken only that to convince Hermione that was the end of their relationship.

Hermione was broken-hearted and slightly bitter towards the idea of love after that. She had thought that she could turn to Harry in her moment of sadness, but he wouldn't choose a side. She figured that if her best friend couldn't even see that Ron was wrong, she didn't need either of them anymore.

She severed ties with them and went on with life, trying to console herself with other friends, such as Luna and Ginny. But Ginny had married Harry, and Luna had married Neville, so they were busy with their own lives, while Hermione was just waiting. She was waiting for something miraculous to happen, and this internship was exactly what she needed.

Before she knew it, she had reached the twentieth level and stepped out of the elevator into the hall. It was a beautiful passage painted gold and jade (removed with), and at the end of the corridor, there was the golden door that the aged witch had spoken of.

Hermione walked down the hallway, which took awhile, seeing as it was very long. She finally reached the door and knocked eight times then recited her name.

Immediately, a door to her left appeared right out of the wall. It was taller and more elegant than the golden door. It opened, and she heard a deep voice tell her to enter.

She stepped into the Minister's office and looked around, it was nothing special. It looked like any other office in the building, except it had more pictures on the walls and a huge window overlooking the city of London.

"You asked for me, Mr. Shacklebolt?" Hermione said to the tall, black man standing by the window.

"Yes, I did, Hermione," he replied, "and you must not be so formal with me; we are old friends please sit."

Hermione took a seat in the big, red chair in front of Kingsley's desk. The chair was comfortable and seemed to mold to her figure. She let out a sigh of relief and relaxed into it more.

"So, you must be wondering why I have called you here first, instead of letting you go straight to work. Well the answer is simple. I must prepare you for what you are about to experience, Ms. Granger," he said in a more serious tone.

"What do you mean, Kingsley? Prepare myself for what? I thought I was just going to be interning in the Potions area," she asked him.

Kingsley was silent for a moment before he spoke again.

"I am surprised you haven't asked whom you were to work under, Hermione. Anyone else would've been interested to know. But you did not ask. Why is that?" he  
inquired.

"Well, I didn't think it mattered. Anyone would be fine, I suppose. Besides, I didn't think I'd have known who it was anyways," she answered.

"Hmm. Interesting," Kingsley responded. "Well it doesn't matter now. Do you wish to know whom you are going to be working under?"

"Well, I kind of wanted it to be a surprise. Why does it matter so much that I know, Minister?"

"It matters because I don't think you would've taken the position if you had known beforehand," he answered.

"But it doesn't matter to me who I work under! As long as I am learning from a great Potions master, then what does it make a difference? I don't see why we must have this conversation!" she exclaimed.

"I guess you are right." Kingsley said in a calm tone. "But I shall tell you that if you wish to stop this apprenticeship at anytime, just owl me, and it will be worked out, OK?"

"OK, I shall. Uh, thanks for this meeting minister," Hermione said as she got up to leave.

"Anytime," the Minister replied.

Hermione left the room and walked back down the corridor to the elevator. She took it back to the entrance-level floor and stepped out into the foyer. She went back to the information desk and asked the same witch where she was to go for the internship.

"Take the elevator down to the Department of Mysteries and walk to the left until you see a door marked "Potions Laboratories." That'll take you precisely to where you need to be, and, honey… Good luck," she grumbled.

"Thanks," Hermione said before she raced to the elevator again.

She took the elevator down to the department of mysteries, just as she had in her fifth year at Hogwarts. She stepped out into the cool, stony passageway and shivered. She turned to the left and started to walk down the chilly corridor until she reached the door she had been told about.

She opened it slowly, keeping in mind what Kingsley had warned her about. She could hear his voice in her head warning her, but she tried to ignore it. She stepped inside the door, only to find that there was another long hallway inside. She closed the door quietly behind her and looked around. It reminded her very much of the dungeons of Hogwarts.

She started down the passageway until she came to another door to her left. It was open, and she peered around the corner to the inside. Something in her stomach dropped as she looked at the scene. It wasn't the excess of fumes or the dangerous chemicals that she recognized. It was the person who was occupying the room… Severus Snape.

She quickly pulled her head back from the doorway.

"Bloody hell!" she muttered under her breath. She glanced around the corner again into the room and then pulled her head back.

She saw her old professor from Hogwarts standing there. Snape. The one Harry and Ron had always hated, but the one she had always admired for how brilliant he was. She couldn't believe her eyes. Kingsley wasn't joking about this. She should've asked in advance whom she was to work under.

Her stomach dropped to a depth that she didn't think was possible. She felt an odd sensation take over her body, though she didn't know why. Random, unrelated thoughts were running through her head. She couldn't interpret them though, because nothing made sense in that solitary moment. Everything was a blur as she tried to pull herself together again.

She glimpsed around the corner once more to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. They weren't. There was the man who had tricked Voldemort and helped Harry defeat him. This man was brave and honorable, but still hated by many.

She stood there against the wall for a couple more minutes thinking things over until she heard a voice call out to her.

"Ms. Granger, you may wish to come in, as waiting out there all day won't make this job any better," Severus Snape said in his drawling voice.

Hermione obeyed and entered the room.


	2. The First Day

**Chapter Two: The First Day**

Hermione walked into a circular room, where Snape stood in the center. Despite being surrounded with fumes and glass tubes, she could still see him.

"Come closer, Miss Granger. I don't bite. I am not a vampire, despite what all you students used to think," he said as he poured a liquid from one vial to another.

"I was smarter than the other students, Professor Snape. Surely you knew that?" she replied pointedly.

He walked out from behind the curtain of smoke and strode to his desk. He took a seat behind it and beckoned Hermione to come closer. She sat down in the chair opposite his and set her bag down next to it.

"There is no need to call me Professor, Miss Granger, seeing that I am not your teacher anymore. I am merely your adviser and guide during this time. You shall watch what I do, and imitate, in hopes that one day you will take over this post," he said to her.

"Sir," Hermione said with uncertainty, "am I to understand that I am to take over your job when you retire? I didn't think that this was the purpose of this apprenticeship, I thought I was just here to learn what I could from you, not become your successor."

"Well, you don't have to do anything you don't wish to do. Since some seem to think you are actually intelligent and not just an insufferable know-it-all, then it would only be logical for you to head this department when I am gone." He spoke as though he were annoyed.

"Gone, Sir? What do you mean gone? You must have many more years to live I'd think. Why should you not continue a job that you are so good at, and that no one can compare to?" she questioned him, purposely ignoring the jibe he had made at her.

"Miss Granger, you asking pointless questions won't make this year go by any faster. Please refrain from opening your mouth more times than needed, even though I know that is a very hard task for you. If you must know some truth, then know that there are still many people out there who don't trust me, even after the _amazing_ Harry Potter cleared my name. So I will do this job for one last year, and then retire into solitude where I won't be bothered any longer. Understand?" he asked contemptuously.

Hermione stared at him for a moment before she nodded in agreement.

"Good, now you may start your duties. Basically, you will do what I tell you and fetch me things when I need them. Fail to do this and I will not be happy. Now first you shall organize all the potions supplies in those cupboards--" He pointed. "--in reverse alphabetical order. I regret to say that they have been getting more and more disorganized over the years and I do not have the time to do it myself," he said.

"But, Sir, why reverse alphabetical order? Surely the proper way to do it would be to-" She was interrupted.

"I would like you to do it the way that I asked, and without complaint, Miss Granger. Even though your school days are long over, you still don't realize the fact that your ideas are void to me. Everything will be done my way, and my way alone. I don't need some incompetent, inexperienced witch telling me what is proper and what is not. If you keep this up, Miss Granger, then we are going to have a problem. Are you able to comprehend what I have said?" he added with a glare.

"Yes, Sir," Hermione muttered through clenched teeth.

She set to work right away. The unnerving tension in the room was so palpable that it was smothering. She couldn't stand to work that way, but she must if she wanted to complete the job properly. She started rummaging through the potion bottles and struggled to find one labeled with a "Z".

Two hours had gone by before Hermione had finally finished the "Z" shelf. She wiped the sweat off her brow and sighed. She looked around for a chair to sit and rest in, but much to her displeasure, the closest chair to her was one right beside Snape.

She looked over to where Snape was standing. He was measuring out two vials of a strange looking liquid that she had never seen before. Snape seemed to know that she was watching him, because he began to speak.

"Now that you've finally finished the first shelf, you may start working on the next one if you please. The "Y" shelf, if you've already forgotten what letter comes before Z," he said with a taunting manner in his voice.

Hermione didn't appreciate the snide remark and reacted aggressively.

"Is this how it's going to be, Sir? Are you going to be rude to me this entire year? The Minister has told me that if at anytime I am unhappy with what is going on, to owl him and request to drop out of this program. I will gladly take him up on his offer if this is what I am going to have to be dealing with every day."

"No!" he snarled. "You must not do that."

"And why not?" she huffed.

"Beca-because you can't! You mustn't leave, not until you have learned," he bellowed.

"Learned what, Sir? I don't know what could be important enough to make me stay and be abused in this way," she asked, confused by the urgency in his voice.

"I have things to teach you, things that you will learn in due time, as soon as I know I can trust you. Stay… please." The 'please' was barely audible, and when he said it, a slightly embarrassed flush rose on his cheeks. There was a strange, yet wonderful, sincerity to his voice that Hermione had never experienced before now. He sounded almost as if he was pleading. He looked down at the floor - and away from Hermione's face. She wished he would look at her, but to her great frustration, he didn't. They stood there in silence for a couple minutes before Hermione finally spoke.

"I will stay, Sir, for the time being. But know this, if you keep mistreating me, then I will leave, with or without what you have to teach me. I am not the little schoolgirl that I once was. I have grown up and can defend myself now."

Snape looked up at her, but only for a moment. He took what she said to mind_. She isn't a little girl anymore; she is a young woman, and a lot different from her schooldays_, he thought to himself, but he quickly removed that thought from his head. _It's not right to think that way, you old fool, think of other things._

"Do we have an understanding?" Hermione said as she held out her hand for the man to shake.

He didn't take her hand, but merely said, "That will do, Miss Granger. Please continue with the organizing."

He strode back over to the table with the chemicals and got straight to work without a word. Hermione walked back over to the cupboards and began to search through the mess of ingredients for one starting with a "Y". She picked up one labeled "Young Blood of a Werewolf" and felt compelled to ask Snape why this would be under "Y" instead of "W" for Werewolf, but decided against it, seeing that she didn't want to raise another fight.

Another four hours passed and Hermione looked at her watch only to see that it was finally six o'clock and time to leave. She looked over in Snape's general direction and saw that he was sitting at his desk, writing something down. She started towards the desk and passed the table that Snape was working at earlier.

On the worktable she saw papers scattered everywhere and leaned down to look at some. All the papers were written out in some kind of code she could not understand. She looked even closer. These were not ancient runes; they were something different, a secret code that Snape seemingly developed for himself.

Sehsiw ruootmeh tegn ahcd natifo stnemel eeht evome rotwoh tuoderug ifts ujewf ilortn ocylisa edluoc ewt ahter utanfon isahcus otdetc ejbus ebewdlu ohsyhw osev omy reveru oslortn ocna iptn aron gioselp oeper ayhw…

She picked up the paper and stuffed it quickly into her pocket. She wanted to decode it at home. She kept on walking over to Snape's desk so she could retrieve her bag. When she got there, she saw that Snape was writing down more of his code. She couldn't help herself, so she began to speak.

"Sir, if it is not being too bold, may I ask what is that you are writing, and what the potion is that you are working so steadfastly on?"

"That is none of your business, Miss Granger. Now, return to here tomorrow morning at 10:00am. You may leave now, Miss Granger, and before you do, you may want to put that paper that you stole back, or I may have to press charges, and that's a lot of tedious paperwork that I don't enjoy doing. Good night," he said quite drearily, without looking up at her.

Hermione quickly pulled the paper out of her pocket and set it down on Snape's desk. She then picked up her bag and rushed out of the room without a word.

Snape smirked slightly to himself. _That should teach the little know-it-all not to steal from me again, _he thought.

Hermione ran through the corridors and into the elevator before it closed on her. She was stuffed into it with seven other grumpy looking wizards. They all eyed her suggestively. Hermione, feeling uncomfortable, squirmed a little and kept her head down. At level one, all of them got out, _Thank God_, she thought to herself when she was alone again. The elevator then stopped again at level two, and to her surprise, Harry got on.

"'Lo Hermione. How was your day?" he asked politely.

"Er…Let's just say it was, -awkward." She replied. She decided not to tell him about her potions internship just yet.

"Interesting. Why are you here today, anyway? I forgot to ask earlier."

"No real reason, just catching up with some people, you know. That sort of thing. Why are you here?" she said all the while trying to sound genuine.

"Didn't I tell you? I'm the Head of the Auror's Department. Kingsley saw promise in me after the war, and he offered me the job about a year ago. Can you believe it? I am the youngest ever to head the department!" he exclaimed.

"Well of course you'd get it, Harry, especially after you were the one to defeat Voldemort. No one else is more worthy of the job," she told him sincerely.

"Thanks. Well uh, I've been thinking a lot today. Do you want to maybe come over for dinner tonight? Ginny has finally gotten the whole cooking thing down and is making something really nice for supper. And I'm very sure that she would love to see you after all this time."

"Of course I'd like to come, Harry," she said, though she felt slightly unsure.

"That's great! Then follow me," he said, as he walked out of the elevator and into the atrium.

Hermione followed him. They walked passed the Fountain of Magical Brethren, that had been rebuilt last year, and Hermione looked at her reflection in the water. It was hard to distinguish, but she could see that her face had lost a lot of the happiness that it once had a couple of years ago. Life was lonely now, and without her old companions, she felt emptier inside than ever.

She kept on following Harry until they reached one of the regal fireplaces in the entrance part of the atrium. Harry grabbed a handful of Floo Powder out of the basin on top of the hearth, and threw it into the warm fire below. Immediately the flames turned emerald green and flickered brightly.

"Hermione, I know I was wrong to not side with you before, but you could always trust me in the past, and you can still trust me now. Just take my hand and I will never betray your trust again." Harry held out his hand to her and she looked at it suspiciously.

"Come home with me," he added, and she could see clearly that he was genuine.

Hermione looked into his eyes and knew instantly that this was the same Harry that she'd always known and loved, and that a single mistake shouldn't have made her react the way she did. She took his hand in hers and smiled at him.

He looked at her for a moment and then turned back towards the fireplace and said, "Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place."

Then they stepped into the fireplace together.


	3. With Friends Again

**Chapter Three: With Friends Again**

Hermione and Harry stepped out of the fireplace into a cozy looking bedroom. They were covered in ashes and some soot, still in the air, flew into Hermione's mouth and she began to cough violently.

"God," she sputtered, "I haven't traveled this way for years," she muttered as she began to recover from the ashes in her throat.

Harry slapped her hard on the back in hopes of making her stop coughing.

"Argh. Thanks, Harry. That worked. I'd forgotten what traveling that way could be like," she said as she straightened herself out.

Hermione stood up straight and looked around the bedroom. Everything about number twelve, Grimmauld Place was the same, except it was much cleaner than before. The last time she had been there had been was three years ago when Harry decided to take it and make it his own. The setting was warmer now. It felt like a well lived in home at present, instead of the gloomy old house it was in the past.

"Um, you can follow me into the kitchen if you want. That's where Ginny is, I think," Harry said as he walked out of the bedroom into the hallway.

Hermione followed him out the doorway and into the corridor. They walked down the stairway and into the kitchen area, which she remembered was in the basement. When they arrived closer to their destination, Hermione could smell the scent of Shepherd's Pie in the air. The aroma of finely chopped onions and lamb overflowed the hall.

Harry finally pushed the door to the kitchen open and Hermione saw Ginny standing over the stove, swishing her wand about over the pots and pans. Hermione surveyed the scene more closely and realized quite quickly that Ginny looked like she had put on more weight in the stomach area. Ginny looked over from where she was standing, saw Hermione, and screamed.

"Oh my God! Hermione! Harry, you found her!" Ginny shouted as she reached out to hug Hermione.

Hermione ran over to Ginny and began to embrace her.

"Oh, careful, don't want to crush the baby before he's born!" Ginny exclaimed as she pulled away from Hermione.

"Baby?" Hermione asked as she looked at Ginny's belly. "Oh my god, you're pregnant? Can I feel him?"

"Of course," Ginny said.

Hermione put her hands on Ginny's tummy and felt a small presence within it. The last time she had felt a pregnant woman's belly was when her mother was pregnant with the younger sister she had never got to know. An unforeseeable miscarriage was what did the unfortunate infant in. Her name was to be "Athena", but Hermione's parents never got a chance to have her be alive.

Hermione removed her hands from Ginny and smiled.

"What are you going to name him, assuming it's a boy?" she asked Ginny.

Ginny looked over to Harry and nodded to him.

"James, after my father," Harry replied.

"How wonderful!" Hermione said.

Hermione felt better and more warmhearted than she had in years. Being back with Harry and Ginny was wonderful and she couldn't believe that she had stayed away from them for so long.

"Well, sit down. We have much to catch up on!" Harry said, beaming.

Hermione sat down in a wobbly chair at the head of the table and placed her bag on the surface. She couldn't remember a time when she had been so happy, well at least, not since Harry defeated Voldemort. She looked over at Ginny and saw the ecstasy in her face. It was good to be with friends again she thought to herself.

Ginny waddled over to the table and sat down with difficulty.

"God, it's been getting harder and harder to sit down these days," she said with a huff.

"I bet," Hermione said. "So what have you been up to Ginny? Not working at the Ministry currently?"

"No, they gave me maternity leave. Of course it would've been nearly impossible for me to do my job while in this condition. Traveling all over the country to undo Hexes is not easy as it is," Ginny said with a laugh.

"Yeah, and what's great is that they are still paying her full salary while she sits at home and does nothing!" Harry interjected.

"Excuse me!" Ginny retorted. "You ass! I do nothing? What do you think I am doing right now you bloody fool?"

Just then she saw Ginny's wand wielding hand fly back over her head and right at Harry. A shot of purple light went right past his head by two inches and hit a potted plant sitting on a pedestal behind him. Immediately the plant began to sprout horns and hair.

"Oy!" Harry shouted. "I was just kidding Gin! I know you've been cleaning and cooking the entire time you've been home."

Hermione suddenly felt awkward being in the middle of this marital fight. She began to recline in her chair as if doing that would make her invisible to the situation. But as soon as she did this she realized that little fights like this happened quite often and as soon as it began, it was over and Ginny was kissing Harry right on the lips.

"God, I love you," Harry said as Ginny pulled away.

"Likewise, Potter," Ginny replied. "You're lucky I missed this time."

The wobbly chair beneath Hermione squeaked as she shifted her weight. Harry and Ginny then realized that she was still there and acted as if nothing happened.

"So, you never told me what you were doing at the Ministry today, Hermione," Harry directed at her.

"Uh, it's nothing you know. Just a job," she said sheepishly.

"_Just a job_," Harry said, mocking her. "What could be so embarrassing that the marvelously talented Hermione Granger cannot tell us?"

Harry and Ginny stared at Hermione with a great intensity. She could tell that they would not give up until she gave up her secret.

"Oh, blast it. All right. I'm doing a potions internship for a year." She said relieved.

"Potions?" Harry questioned. "Wait a minute…SNAPE? You're working under SNAPE?"

"You don't have to shout," Hermione whispered.

"Actually I do. You? Working under Professor Snape? God, what is the world coming to?" Harry bellowed.

"Harry," Ginny spoke. "Don't forget that he is the one who worked with Dumbledore to protect your life."

"Yeah, but…He was in love with my mother for Gods sake. That was the only reason. Ugh. I don't even want to think about the nasty thoughts he had about her," Harry said with disgust.

"Harry, I was surprised too. I had no idea that he would be whom I was working under until I got there today. I didn't want to believe it. But he is a brilliant man, and I will learn so much from him in this time period and I'm not going to give all that up just because he is unpleasant," Hermione said.

"Good for you Hermione," Ginny said. "Ooh. Dinner is ready!"

Ginny jumped up and served the food onto three plates. They magically floated over to the table and plopped down right in front of the three occupied seats. Hermione was so excited to eat a real meal for once. She hadn't had a truly good home cooked meal since she lived at home with her parents.

Just as she was about to eat a bite of the delicious Shepherd's Pie in front of her, a knock at the front door was heard, followed by a doorbell ring that was quite unusual. A look of shock came over Harry and Ginny's faces as this happened, as if they all of a sudden remembered something that they had forgotten. Hermione was pondering what it could be when Harry got up and started up the stairs.

"Won't be a moment," he said as he sprinted up the stairs.

"Expecting visitors tonight?" Hermione asked Ginny.

"Erm," Ginny garbled while avoiding her eyes.

From the entrance hall Hermione could hear the faint sounds of the front door closing. She heard two male voices, one obviously Harry's and the other not quite recognizable. Hermione didn't know what to expect as she heard the pairs of footsteps coming down the stairway.

She looked to Ginny for an answer, and all Ginny could say was, "Sorry, I forgot he was visiting tonight. Please don't do anything irrational."

"Irrational? What?" Hermione didn't understand.

Just then she understood what was going on. She saw the glimmer of short ginger hair appear through the door to the kitchen. She knew at once why Ginny had been sorry. Ron was there and Hermione hadn't seen him since their falling out.

"Yum," Ron muttered. "What smells so goo…" Then he saw Hermione.

His eyes went wide and he realized that his ex-girlfriend was standing there in the room. He turned to leave when Harry stopped him.

"Don't you dare! We are not going to have our evening ruined just because you feel guilty. Stay and suck it up," Harry said to him.

"Yeah, alright," He replied.

Ron walked to the opposite side of the table and sat down. Hermione noticed that he had gotten a lot more bulked up since she had last seen him. He was quite the opposite of clean-shaven and had several ear piercings. Hermione assumed that fame had gone to his head. She wondered what compelled Ron to make such drastic changes. Surely women did not find him attractive like this.

"You look…" She tried to search for a polite way to say it. "different, Ronald."

"Yeah, what about it?" He said while picking something from under his fingernail.

Hermione stayed silent for the rest of the evening, only speaking when Harry or Ginny asked her a direct question. Every once and a while she would take a short glance over at Ron. Even though he was changed and had previously cheated on her, there was still some longing there in her heart for the man sitting across from her.

"Well," Ron announced. "I'm off. Thanks for the food Gin."

And with a kiss on Ginny's forehead, Ron was off, swiftly up the stairs and out of the house with a slam of the door.

"Well," Ginny said softly. "It could've been much worse."

"Yeah, like how?" Hermione demanded.

"Let's not dwell on this please," Harry pleaded.

"I have to go home," Hermione said. "Got to feed Crookshanks."

"Goodbye," Harry and Ginny said in unison.

"You'll come by again soon?" Ginny asked.

"Of course," Hermione said. "As long as Ronald isn't here."

"He won't be bothering you again. We promise. I'll owl you, alright?" Harry said to her as he gave her a hug.

Hermione held Harry tight, giving him a squeeze to let him know that she really cared. He reciprocated this emotion by pulling her in even tighter. They then let go and Hermione gave Ginny a quick side embrace as to not squash the baby. Hermione stepped away from both of them and gave a quick wave. She turned around and imagined in her mind her small, yet cozy apartment. She then Apparated to her door and stood there with a sigh.

It was great to have Harry and Ginny back in her life, but she was going to have to get used to Ron showing up unexpectedly. She decided then and there that the next time she saw him that she would tell him how she felt and then she would feel free of the burden that had been holding her down for two years.


End file.
